People are at the heart of NavVis. We’re much more than the innovative technology we’ve developed; we’re a dynamic, culturally diverse, close-knit group working together to achieve remarkable things. That’s why we launched the NavVis Employee Spotlight. We’re showcasing to future candidates what life is like at NavVis, and the inspiring people with whom you could collaborate.
In this edition of our series, we spoke with Ekaterina (Katya) Speckbacher, a Digital Marketing Manager who has really come full circle with NavVis. Dubbed our “Hubspot Queen,” she plays a central role in ensuring all our digital marketing tools, like our website, email workflows, and social media accounts, run without a hitch. Katya’s knowledge, get-stuff-done attitude, and humor make her a highly valued team member and everyone in the office knows that they can rely on her.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got to where you are today.
When I started studying, I didn’t even plan to end up in marketing – I actually thought I would go into physics and mathematics. However, because I wanted to learn several languages, I had a change of heart and ended up getting my bachelor’s degree in English language and literature.
You might be thinking “how did you end up in marketing then?” My husband is German, so after graduating, I moved to Switzerland, where I found a job in sales. I was in sales for almost two years, but to be honest, I realized I was not very good at it!
Although, while on the job, I found myself trying marketing activities in my sales regions and that’s when it clicked. I knew then that I wanted to go into marketing. Life brought us up to Munich around that time, so I took my chance and started my master’s degree in Brand Management. That’s when I found NavVis – I can’t believe that it was already three years ago!
Q: What attracted you to NavVis?
I really wanted to work at a tech company because it is interesting for me. I also knew I didn’t want to work in B2C, but rather B2B, and something in deep tech. And I was very excited about NavVis and its super innovative technology, so I wanted to learn more about it.
Then, when I interviewed for my first role as a Product Marketing Working Student, I got the feeling that it was such a cool startup with a very friendly vibe, so I knew that I wanted to work there.
“The company is pretty young so it's a very nice atmosphere to work with people with whom you have things in common.”
Also, I could feel the internationality from day one – I actually was interviewed by three people who all came from different countries, Canada, Romania, and Spain. I think that's in general what excites me about Munich and NavVis. You can meet people from all around the world from different backgrounds and with different stories.
Q: What was the transition like from a working student to a full-time Digital Marketing Manager?
As mentioned, I originally started as a working student in product marketing where I learned a lot about our products and industry. It was an amazing learning experience, but I soon realized that I wanted to do something more digital, so I switched to the digital marketing team as a working student there.
The most difficult part of the transition was the fact that it happened right during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was wrapping up my thesis and my working student status was expiring, so I had to figure out what I wanted to do next. The team was so supportive during that time and eventually, my managers were able to offer me a full-time role as a Digital Marketing Manager. You can’t imagine how happy I was!
Once I transitioned to full-time, I have to say that I felt so much support from my managers from day one. Instead of putting everything on me all at once, they gradually gave me more and more responsibility until I was confident that I could handle everything on my own. I didn’t just gain my Hubspot title overnight! I really was able to experiment and learn, all while growing my digital marketing abilities.
Q: How do you feel you have grown in your current role?
I feel like when I was a working student, I was a lot more focused on learning and playing a supporting role in projects. Now, as a full-time employee, it’s really come full circle.
For example, I have my own working student now, and teammates come to me for advice when they need assistance. I also am someone who has been on the team for a long time, so I’ve been able to watch NavVis change and grow, and I’ve become the one who shares my knowledge with new team members.
“Instead of only being along for the ride, I am in the driver’s seat of a lot of projects.”
Q: Take us through a typical workday for you.
In marketing, there's no such thing as a typical workday! But I still try to structure my day as much as possible.
I devote some of my time to operational tasks, like creating landing pages, writing emails, and reviewing work from our working students. Then, we often have meetings where we do some more strategic planning. I also try to find time each week to work on my bigger projects, do research, develop new ideas, and experiment.
In digital marketing, nothing stays the same. Every week there are new trends, new technologies, and new updates to stay on top of, so I really try to make it a priority to take time to learn about these new developments.
Q: Is there anyone you rely on to get things done?
Of course! I mentioned before that I rely on my managers and working student, but I know that I can rely on each member of the marketing team at the end of the day. We all play different roles and no matter what, I know I’ll always get their full support in everything we do.
“If we need to get something done, we team up, work together, and accomplish something amazing.”
I feel the same way with any team I work with at NavVis. Whether it’s sales, IT, or customer experience, not one project can be attributed to one person or team. For example, the user experience is very important to us. If it starts with our website (marketing), it needs to continue through the sales process to the very end, to post-sales with customer experience. Even after that, it goes to our product teams to deliver amazing hardware and software updates. So, that's why it's important that all our teams work together – it's challenging, but it’s exciting to see what we are able to accomplish!
Q: What is something that might surprise us about you?
Well, when I moved to Switzerland, it was a very challenging time for me to find a job, so I decided to become a sommelier! So, it might surprise you that I’m an official, trained sommelier. If you ever want to drink and discuss wine, I'm your person.
Do you want to join Katya in a flexible, dynamic, inspiring work environment? Check out our open positions, we are hiring across all departments!